Oil-fuel and compensating tank for submarines.



M. F. HAY. I OIL FUELAND COMPENSATING TANK FOR SUBMARINES.

APPLICATION FlLED OCT-B. |9|5- 1,245,715. Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

INVENTOR MHRLE) F'o THEk/Ns/vmw Hm M. F. HAY.

OIL FUEL-AND COMPENSATING TANK FOR SUBMARINES.

APPLICATION man OCT. 8. 1915. 1,245,71 6B PatentedNov. 6, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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OIL-FUEL AND COMPENSATIN-G TANK FOB, SUBMARINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. c, 1917.

Application filed. October 8, 1915. Serial No. 54,918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARLEY FOTHERING- HAM HAY, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain and Ireland, and a resident of'The Hague, Netherlands,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Connection withOil-Fuel and Compensating Tanks for Submarines, of which the followingis the specification.

In nearly all existing arrangements for ballast-compensating for the.oil fuel used in submarines the loss of weight due to the consumption offuel is made up by admit ting sea water under the fuel remaining in thefuel oil tank. Sea water being of higher specific gravity than fuel oilthe amount of the former admitted must-be less than of the latterwithdrawn. Although the specific gravities are different the fuel oiland sea water tend to mix even in a slight seaway and more particularlyif there be free space in the tank permitting of surging. Practicalexperience has shown that a very minute quantity of sea water reachingthe engine materially interferes with its running and even causes it tostop.

The invention has forits object to overcome these disabilities by theprovision of means for the avoidance at all times of the presence offuel oil and sea water in one tank at the same time.

According to the invention. the fuel oil tank is dividea into a seriesof separate compartments of a given capacity and there is provided aseparate compensating tank of a capacity substantially equal to any oneof the separate compartments. Theoreti cally this compensating tankshould be situate at the center of gravity of the seriesof fuel oilcompartments but as there are so many other tanks and devices forcompensating for differences in fore-and-aft trim this is notpractically necessary.

There may of course be a series of subdivided oil tank units each withits compensating tank.

To commence with, the subdivided fuel tank is full, the compensatingtank empty. Fuel is used from one compartment of the oil tank and acorresponding weight of Water is admitted to the compensating tank untilthe compartment is emptied. The fuel compartment is then supplied Withwater to a weight equal to the fuel withdrawn and the compensating tankis emptied. Fuel is then drawn from another com partment and itswithdrawal compensated by adding water to the compensating tank Anexample of the improved arrangement is shown diagrammatically on twoaccompanying sheets of explanatory drawings, Figure 1 being adiagrammatic elevation of the forward part of a fuel tank and itsrelative compensating tank, and Fig. 2 a diagrammatic plan thereof,while Fig. 3 shows diagrammatically a convenient arrangement of pipeconnections inconnection with fourfuel compartments and one compensatingtank. V

In this example, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the part of the fuel tank shownis divided into five compartments A, B, C, D, E, and there is provided acompensating tank F of capacity commensurate with that of the fuelcompartments. The usual forward trimming tank G which however forms nopart of the present invention is also shown. In Fig. 8 the compensatingtank F is shown as arranged substantially at the center of gravity offour fuel compartments A, B, H, J. Any convenient arrangements of pipeconnections and so forth are provided.

As shown in Fig. 3 a pipe connection K leads from each fuel compartmentand from the tank F to an air chest L so fitted with valves that thepipes K may be put in communication with a venting pipe M or with a pipeN leading from any suitable source of compressed air. Other pipes P alsolead from near the bottom of all the compartments and the bottom of thetank to a valvecontrolled water chest R in communication with the sea bythe valve-controlled pipe S. All these pipes P. except the one leadingto the compensating tank F, also have branches T communicating with afuel chest U so fitted with valves that the fuel tanks may be put incommunication, by a filling pipe W, with a source of supply of oil fuel,or in communication by a pipe X with the engine tobe supplied with theoil fuel.-

In use, the various valves are adjusted in sell known manner,compartments A,

B, C, l), E, H, J, being full of fuel oil that from say compartment A isused first. As the fuel is used, water of equal weight to the fuelwithdrawn is admitted to the compensating tank F. Compartment A havingbeen emptied, the compensating tank F is emptied and at the same timeinto compartment A here is delivered a weight of water equal to theweight of fuel oil it originally held. Fuel oil is now taken from anyother one of the compartments B, C, D, E, and the same procedurerepeated.

What I claim is 1. F or a submarine, a fuel oil tank divided into aseries of compartments, a compensating tank of capacity commensuratewith the capacity of a compartment, means for drawing off fuel from acompartment and admitting to the compensating tank an equal weight ofwater, and means for filling emptied compartments with water andemptying the compensating tank as set forth.

For a submarine, a fuel oil tank divided into a series of compartments,a compensating tank of capacity substantially equal to that of acompartment. means for drawing off fuel from a compartment and admittingto the compensating tank an equal weight of water, and means for fillingemptied compartments with water and emptying the compensating tank asset forth.

3. F or a submarine, a fuel oil tank divided into a series ofcompartments, a compensating tank of capacity commensurate with thecapacity of a compartment and arranged substantially at the center ofgravity of the oil tank, means for drawing off fuel from a compartmentand admitting to the compensating tank an equal weight of water, andmeans for filling emptied compartments with water and emptying thecompensating tank as set forth.

l. For a submarine, a fuel oil tank divided into a series ofcompartments, a compensating tank of capacity substantially equal tothat of a conqiiartment and arranged substantially at the center ofgravity of the oil tank, means for drawing off fuel from a co1npartmentand admitting to the compensating tank an equal weight of water, and.means for filling emptied. compartments with water and emptying thecompensating tank as set forth.

5. The method of compensating for weight of liquid fuel consumed inoperating submarine boats, which consists in admitting to a.compensating chamber a quantity of water equal in weight to the fueldrawn from a fuel. chamber, and after said fuel chamber is empty,filling the latter with water equal. in weight to the fuel. withdrawnand emptying the compensating chamber for reuse inv conniensating lossof weight in asucceeding fuel chamber as fuel is withdrawn from thelatter.

6. In a fuel tank system for submarine boats, a series of fuel tanks anda compensat ing tank, means for admitting water to the compensating tankas fuel is withdrawn from a fuel tank for use, means for filling thefuel tank with water after it has been emptied of fuel and means foren'iptying the compensating tank for reuse in compensating the loss ofweight in a succeeding fuel tank as the fuel is withdrawn from thelatter.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

MARLEY FOTHERINGHAM HAY.

WVitnesses BERKHART, H. SANDFORT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patent Washington, D. G.

